No matter what you think of zone defense in the abstract, it’s clear that Duke’s using it to power this most recent March run. The Blue Devils beat Syracuse 69-65, and in so doing, the student has surpassed the teacher.
Mike Krzyzewski learned the intricacies of zone defense from Jim Boeheim, then Duke ended Syracuse’s season with it
With length, Duke’s zone has the Blue Devils stifling opponents in the tournament.
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
These teams played a much closer game than the matchup earlier this season. That game saw Duke wax the orange, 60-44. This time around, the Orange weren’t going away quietly. Although Duke held the lead throughout, Syracuse kept it close until the very end. After the game, Coach K talked about playing under the pressure this game created and he said he hoped the experience would serve the team well in the Elite Eight.
Duke turned to zone this season to take advantage of their inside length, and it’s benefited the Blue Devils. They sprung their brand of zone defense against a Syracuse team that looked at times bamboozled by the same defensive system they know so well. But there’s no way to simulate the length of Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter Jr., each of whom have a wingspan greater than 7’0, and make Duke’s zone as long as it is vicious.
Duke even started slapping the floor while going into their zone.
As is always the case, it’s about going over the zone. Both teams didn’t exactly do that effectively in the conventional manner. They combined for three made three pointers in the second half, but Duke’s way over Syracuse’s zone was about making multiple alley-oops throughout the evening as well. Bagley led all scorers with 22, and Grayson Allen followed up with 15 of his own.
There’s not much you can teach Mike Krzyzewski at this stage in the game. He’s the Division I leader in wins (men’s or women’s) and has won multiple national titles leading Duke. But Boeheim did teach an old dog new tricks when the longtime friends put their heads together to coach the United States in international play. While on the same staff, Boeheim revealed some of the intricacies of the zone play that’s made the Syracuse coach one of the most successful in the history of the sport.
On this night, coach K’s Blue Devils won with his version.
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